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Curated Accessibility Resources

Android Accessibility Help

This resource provides a quick overview of accessibility settings that library staff can use on Android devices. It could be helpful for troubleshooting with a patron having issues with an Android device.

Apple Accessibility Support

A guide for some of the accessibility features available in Apple products, including VoiceOver, AssistiveTouch, Switch Control, Guided Access, and Voice Control. There is also a braille user guide for different types of apple devices.

Bill C-81: An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada

This is a digital version of Canadian legislation that applies to accessibility in public spaces. It is relatively dense and technical but should be a document any Library Director or manager has on hand.

AppleVis

AppleVis is an online resource for blind and low-vision users of Apple products such as the Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. The blog provides guides to various apps and software, reviews of the accessibility of Apple products, and a discussion forum and podcast.

Knowbility

Knowbility is a nonprofit organization with the mission of improving technology access for millions of youth and adults with disabilities all over the world. They provide several services, including accessibility testing, auditing, training, and a regularly updated comprehensive blog on web accessibility.

MDN Web Docs: Accessibility

The Mozilla Developer Network’s (MDN) main page on accessibility contains a series of training modules on HTML, CSS and Javascript, ARIA, Accessible Multimedia, and Mobile Accessibility.

General Resources on Disabilities

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) from the Library of Congress created a list covering braille, devices, and general disability resources. Some of the resources are specific to American library services, but it contains some valuable guides on resources such as assistive technology, education, employment advice, and more.

Neil Squire Society

Neils Squire Society is a comprehensive website that offers various services such as accessibility auditing, website and product testing, a service to help businesses develop an accessibility plan, an assistive technology help desk to assist users with their devices, and more.

Audio Description Style Guide v 2.3

Netflix’s partner help center page contains some great resources for producing accessible content. Along with their captioning style guide, they also provide a style guide for adding audio descriptions to video content. Although the guide is meant for Netflix content, the information provided is more generally about videos and is applicable to anyone producing captions and audio descriptions.

English Timed Text Style Guide

Netflix has a comprehensive and well-written style guide for timed text/subtitles, which goes into great detail about handling the many situations in subtitles. As well as the English guide, there are also several other guides written in English that explain how to style timed text in 37 different languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese.

Accessibility Information Toolkit for Libraries

This in-depth Toolkit broadly covers accessibility as it applies to libraries. It provides information about creating an accessible collection for your patrons and standards of accessibility for a library to follow. This would be an excellent resource for a library looking to develop its accessibility policies.

Guidelines on Library and Information Services for People with Disabilities

This is a set of accessibility guidelines from 2016 written by the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA), in consultation with experts, for all Canadian libraries. This document is a good general outline of recommended accessible and inclusive service practices.

Digital Accessibility Courses & Accessibility Reference Library

Deque University provides an extensive curriculum of self-guided online courses so you can focus on the skills you need with the flexibility your schedule requires. Along with courses, this site also offers valuable resources such as guides to using screen readers, an ARIA JavaScript pattern library, and a page with a detailed breakdown of disability demographics.

Described and Captioned Media Program

The Described and Captioned Media Program is a free-loan library of accessible educational media for teachers and family members of K-12 students. The videos available range in subjects from Art History to Sports and Recreation.

Professional Web Accessibility Auditing Made Easy

This free ebook contains essential information for web developers and organizations that want to ensure their digital content is fully accessible. The information is presented as various readings, hands-on activities, and a self-administered test to take at the end of each chapter.

Project Enable

Project Enable provides a comprehensive set of training designed specifically for public, academic, or school librarians. This is a completely free resource and contains a group account option that allows your library staff to register and complete the training together.

Project Pals: College Of Communication & Information

Four training modules are centred around making the library accessible for people with autism. The course includes research-based checklists, examples of materials, tip sheets, lists, and templates to implement best practices in your unique library setting. This self-paced course is free to all library workers and volunteers if you create an OCLC account.

Disability is a spectrum, not a binary

This blog post clarifies what is meant by “disability” and provides web design tips that could help with accessibility. The article does a good job of putting the importance of universal design in perspective. It explains how removing barriers is ultimately beneficial to everyone using the library.